Chaohu whitebait Chaohu whitebait is slender and as white as silver, with dense flesh without thorns and delicious taste. It is known as the queen of fish in Chaohu Lake. Silverbait, also known as 鄍 Remnant Fish in ancient times. Pi Kou Xiu of the Tang Dynasty "clearly counted the remaining fish" and Sima Guang of the Song Dynasty "Yinhua won the fish fat", both refer to whitebait. Chaohu whitebait has a short snout, large eyes, no scales, slender sides and flat sides, and a body length of several inches. February, March, April and autumn every year are the natural breeding periods of whitebait in Chaohu Lake. Young fish mature in one or two months. Currently, there are two fishing seasons for whitebait in Chaohu Lake every year, from mid-May to mid-June and mid-September to mid-October. The peak fishing season is at the turn of spring and autumn. Chaohu whitebait has high nutritional value. Every 100 grams of fresh whitebait contains 8.2 grams of protein. Dried whitebait is called Yangan. Every 100 grams of dried swallow contains 72.1 grams of protein, 13 grams of fat, 1,709.4 kilojoules of calories, 761 mg of calcium, and more than 1,000 mg of phosphorus. Chaohu whitebait is the most beautiful when eaten fresh. There is no need to disembowel and clean it, just rinse it with water and it can be cooked. Habitual ways to eat include: whitebait scrambled eggs, whitebait fried leeks, whitebait roasted tofu, whitebait dumplings and boiled soup, etc. If you add eggs, dried shrimps, Yuanxiao noodles, etc. to make a whitebait paste, and then pass it through pastry to make iced whitebait, the color and taste will be delicious. Dried swallow is mainly used for boiling soup and making brine. Its flavor is fragrant and palatable, and it is broad and strong in stomach. In addition to being eaten fresh and dried, whitebait can also be canned and used as a seasoning in many dishes. At present, in addition to domestic sales, Chaohu whitebait has an annual export volume of hundreds of tons, and is sold to Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, Southeast Asia, Western Europe, North America and other regions and countries. Chaohu white shrimp Chaohu white shrimp, scientific name is beautiful white shrimp. White shrimps are processed into shrimps, also known as shrimps, and those produced in freshwater are also called lake rice. The two major lake rice producing areas in my country are Chaohu Lake and Hongze Lake. Currently, Chaohu shrimps are exported to Hong Kong, Macao, Japan and Southeast Asia. White shrimp accounts for about 80% of the shrimp species in Chaohu waters, and the annual catch amounts to thousands of tons. There has long been a folk saying in our country that "dead shrimps turn red", but this is not the case with Chaohu white shrimps. They do not turn red when cooked and remain white all over. Legend has it that ancient Chaozhou was fishy and filthy, and the fish and shrimp aquariums were also polluted and turbid. The Jade Emperor of Heaven ordered the capture of Chaozhou, and the water from the Tianhe River washed away the sludge and turbid water of Chaozhou, turning Chaozhou into Chaohu Lake. The white shrimp was baptized from it, turning its turbid form into crystal clear, fresh and beautiful, and became the leader among Chaohu aquariums. Chaohu white shrimps are generally 3 to 6 centimeters long, with white flesh and yellow seeds, and a very thin carapace with slight brown spots. Chaohu Lake has wide waters and rich bait, which is suitable for the breeding and growth of white shrimps. Chaohu white shrimp can be caught all year round. April to September is the traditional peak fishing season. Chaohu shrimp has high nutritional value and economic value. Each hundred grams contains 47·6 grams of protein, 0·5 grams of fat, as well as a large amount of inorganic salts and multiple vitamins. In the international market, Chaohu shrimp is regarded as an aquatic treasure, with demand exceeding supply, and is often used as a high-end condiment for main dishes. The ways to eat Chaohu shrimps are generally stir-fried shrimps, braised shrimps or boiled in soup, stuffed, etc. Chaohu shrimps are soaked in hot water and cooked with tofu, cabbage or celery. They all have a unique flavor and become a delicacy. Make a stew or vegetable soup and add some dried shrimps for a particularly delicious taste. Use Chaohu dried shrimps in cold dishes or simmering soup, and its taste is better than that of fresh shrimps. Chaohu crabs Chaohu crabs, river crabs and river crabs belong to the Chinese mitten crab family. They have no fishy smell, no rustic taste, and the meat is delicious. Chaohu crabs live and grow in fresh water, but have the habit of migrating for reproduction. In the past, after the frost every year, adult crabs would swarm out of the lake and swim to the boundary between salty and fresh water in the shallow sea to lay eggs. The eggs would stick to the abdominal limbs of female crabs. In late spring and early summer of the following year, female crabs swim upstream to rivers to hatch. The larvae undergo metamorphosis and develop into juvenile crabs, and then travel long distances, following the journey their parents took, and swim back to live in Chao Lake. The harvest season of Chaohu crabs is later than that of Huaihe River crabs and earlier than that of Yangtze River crabs. It lasts from the end of August to the beginning of December, with the peak fishing season from the end of September to the beginning of November. When autumn is high and the air is crisp, Chaohu hairy crab meat is full of fat and fat. Holding a crab and admiring chrysanthemums is often an elegant event in people's lives. Lake crabs are rich in nutrients and have high economic value. Each hundred grams contains 14 grams of protein, 5.9 grams of fat, and various substances such as carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and riboflavin. Generally, it is steamed, stewed and cooked; the meat roe is removed to make crab paste, meat filling, and fried crab roe, which is delicious; drunken crab has a unique flavor. The pith of lake crabs is like jade, the fat is as yellow as gold, and the color, aroma and taste are all good. Since ancient times, "the crabs on the bed are light in taste".

The Yangtze River crabs and Sancha River crabs in Chaohu are also famous for their large and healthy bodies, fat and yellow meat, and unique flavor. Lake crab, river crab and river crab are all delicious and each has its own merits. Chaohu Shelduck Shelduck is mainly produced in the water network areas of Chaohu City and has a long history of artificial breeding. There are records in Wuwei and Lujiang Qing Dynasty chronicles, and the current annual breeding population is tens of millions. The Chaohu shelduck has a well-proportioned and compact body, with mainly black and gray feathers, which are shiny, with orange toe webs and black claws. The legs are strong and strong. It is agile in movement, good at diving, and has strong foraging ability. It is suitable for stocking along lakes and polders. Chaohu shelducks grow quickly, and after a hundred days of rearing, the young ducks can weigh more than 2 kilograms. When a female duck grows up, she usually lays about 180 eggs per year. Chaohu shelduck has thin skin and fine bones, tender and delicious meat, and moderate fat. It can be slaughtered and braised or stewed for consumption, and can also be processed into famous products such as Nanjing salted duck, Wuwei salted duck, Chaohu snowflake duck, and Hexian salted duck. Duck eggs can be used to make fine preserved eggs. Feathers are more versatile. At present, the number of shelducks raised in Chaohu is increasing, and the varieties are also increasing, and they are being continuously sold to markets inside and outside the province.